The 2018 Leadership Golden Belt class was tasked with creating a vibrant community around the Summer Street Stroll Farmers Market.  Participants had a $10,000 budget to assist with creative ways to reinforce community pride using creative placemaking, community events, and focusing on people attraction, to fuel a greater Great Bend.

The leadership program included six sessions, systematically addressing potential enhancements that would benefit the Thursday evening farmers market events.  The class focused on marketing, programs, and the physical environment.  Sue Cooper, Golden Belt Community Foundation’s Program Officer stated, “the participants have an incredible amount of talent that was harnessed to propel this initiative; I couldn’t be more pleased with the results.”

Some of the modifications made include the addition of the sunflower information cart; a visual place where vendors and shoppers can stop to get more information about the farmers market and area community events. The cart is multifunctional, so it may be used by multiple groups for a variety of purposes.  They also designed a captivating social media toolkit and created face cut-out photo opportunities for the kids.

The majority of the $10,000 budget and the utmost visible part of the project was spent on the physical environment.  The participants wanted to create a welcoming and sustainable seating area that also provided shaded to the heart of the square.  They purchased several four-chair picnic tables, making it possible for everyone to have easy in-and-out access.

The adaptive challenge was addressing shade at the center of the square.  The budget, while plentiful, did not allow for permanent metal umbrellas, similar to those you see on college campuses.  Instead, temporary cloth umbrellas were purchased, as a pilot to visualize the space with shade.  Permanent metal umbrellas were originally in the master plan for the recent renovations at the courthouse, but funding prohibited immediate implementation.  The approximate cost of five industrial, 4-season umbrellas is $14,000. Cooper encouraged people to revisit the area and be mindful of the wind when opening and closing the umbrellas.”

2018 Leadership Golden Belt Participants:

Haley Acker . . . . . .  Marketing Maven Consulting
Andrea Bauer . . . . . .  Great Bend Chamber of Commerce & Economic Development
Jane Belanger . . . . . .  Heartland Farm
Emily Goad . . . . . . Great Bend Convention & Visitors Bureau
Megan Hammeke . . . . . .  Great bend Recreation Commission
Morgan Hawkins . . . . . . Credit Union of America
Jessica Milsap . . . . . .  Mpire Realty
Janel Rose . . . . . . Barton County Health Department
Kelley Scott . . . . . . Just Dance Studio

Golden Belt Community Foundation intends to host Leadership Golden Belt in another community in the GBCF service area, focusing on a different public project in 2019.  For more information about this program, future leadership opportunities, or to make a gift for permanent metal umbrellas for Jack Kilby Square, please contact Sue Cooper at (620) 792-3000 or by emailing sue@goldenbeltcf.org.

BOOKED: Terry Wagner of Great Bend on Barton County District Court case for DUI, interference with LEO, failure to maintain a lane, driving without DL in possession, and failure to provide proof of insurance, bond set at $1,000 C/S.

BOOKED: Antonio Zubia-Renteria on Great Bend Municipal Court charges of no insurance, no DL, and ITOL, in lieu of $500 C/S.

BOOKED: Lorina Reames of Hoisington on Barton County District Court warrant for possession of controlled substance and possession of paraphernalia, bond set at $2,500 C/S.

BOOKED: Travis Watkins on GBMC warrant for FTA, bond is set at $1,000 C/S. GBMC warrant for contempt, bond set at $1,067.50 cash. GBMC warrant for contempt, bond set at $1,285 cash.

BOOKED: Veronica Reames of Great Bend on BTDC warrant for unlawful possession of a controlled substance, possession of marijuana, and possession of drug paraphernalia, bond set at $10,000 C/S.

BOOKED: Mason Cox of Great Bend on GBMC warrant for failure to appear, bond set at $1,000 C/S.

BOOKED: John Lynch on Great Bend Municipal Court warrant for failure to appear with a bond of $1,000 C/S. Pratt Municipal Court also has a warrant but will not extradite.

BOOKED: Keith Meder of Liebenthal on BTDC case for tag not assigned to vehicle, display expired tag, driving while suspended, bond set in lieu of $1,000 C/S.

BOOKED: Sara Deiser of Ellsworth on Lincoln County District Court warrant for theft by deception x2, bond set at $551.36 cash only.

RELEASED: Terry Wagner of Great Bend on BCDC case for DUI, interference with LEO, failure to maintain a lane, driving without DL in possession, and failure to provide proof of insurance after he posted a $1,000 cash bond.

RELEASED: Antonio Zubia-Renteria on GBMC case for no insurance, no DL, and ITOL, $500 bond posted through Ace Bail Bonding.

RELEASED: Sarah Smith-Orr to KDOC.

RELEASED: Mark Reames on BTDC warrant for possession of controlled substance, possession of paraphernalia after posting a surety bond in the amount of $1,000 through Ace Bail Bonding.

RELEASED: Lorina Reames of Hoisington on BCDC warrant for possession of controlled substance and possession of paraphernalia, posted bond amount of $2,500 through Ace Bail Bonding.

RELEASED: Eric Ehster on BTDC case for burglary x2, theft, criminal damage to property, released by order of the Court through Judge Burgess.

RELEASED: Mason Cox of Great Bend posted a $1,000 surety bond through Ace Bail Bonding on GBMC warrant for failure to appear.

RELEASED: Dominique L. Burrow on BCDC case with a $2,500 surety bond through Dynomite Bail Bonds.

RELEASED: Allyssia Jackson on Reno County District Court warrant with a $2,500 surety bond through Ace Bail Bonding and BCDC warrant with a $10,000 OR bond.

RELEASED: Peter Zamarripa on BCDC warrant with $10,000 OR bond.

RELEASED: John Lynch on GBMC warrant for failure to appear, posted bond through Dynomite.

RELEASED: Sara Deiser of Ellsworth on Lincoln County District Court warrant for theft by deception x2 after she posted a $551.36 cash bond.

written by: Rip Winkel – Horticulture Agent, Cottonwood Extension District

One of the most satisfying summertime pleasures one can have is to plant, water and weed a vegetable garden. The pièce de résistance, however, is after waiting so long in anticipation, to harvest and enjoy the great flavors in the various vegetables “ripened on the vine”, like those found in fresh, ripe cucumbers.

What can be disappointing is when you find that the perfectly sized, blemish free cucumber you just picked turned out to have a rancid, bitter taste instead of being sweet. What went wrong?

That bitter taste often found in cucumbers is actually the result of stress caused by a number of factors. These factors can be heredity (genetic), moisture (lack thereof), temperature (excessive), soil characteristics, or from disease. Most often this problem occurs during the hotter days of summer or later in the growing season.

There happens to be two compounds, cucurbitacins B and C, that are the cause for this bitter taste. Though often only the stem end is affected, at times the entire fruit is bitter. Also, most of the bitter taste is found in and just under the skin. Removing the stem end and the skin can often help salvage bitter fruit.

As opposed to some thinking, bitter tasting cucumbers are not the result of this fruit cross-pollinating with squash or melons. These plants cannot cross-pollinate with one another. Often the newer varieties are less likely to become bitter than older ones. Proper cultural care is also often helpful.

As much as possible, try to ensure that the plants have the following:
 Well-drained soil with a pH between 6.0 and 6.5. This may be hard for many as there are areas where the pH can be 8.0 or even higher. If it is high, amending the soil with Sulphur can help lower pH. Also, plenty of organic matter can help.
 Mulch; a 2 to 3-inch layer of mulch helps conserve moisture and keeps roots cool during hot, dry weather.
 Be sure to provide adequate irrigation, especially during the fruiting season.
 Disease and insect control.

On Thursday, August 9 a Great Bend resident reported receiving a telephone call from an unknown person who identified themselves as an employee of the Great Bend Police Department.

The caller then advised the citizen to send $7,000 to another subject or criminal charges would be filed. The citizen’s caller ID showed the call coming from the Great Bend Police Department telephone number 620-793-4120.

This call was not made by any member of the Great Bend Police Department. If you receive a call like this, do not send any money and contact local law enforcement to report it.

Anyone with information about the person making these calls is asked to contact the Great Bend Police Department at 620-793-4120 or Crime Stoppers at 620-792-1300.

Jon Skelton has joined the Pawnee Valley Community Hospital Foundation as a new Trustee. He is a welcomed addition to an already dedicated Trustee base.

Jon was nominated by Trustees, Bill Barger, President, Kyle Beckwith, Vice-President, Meribeth Busenbark, Secretary, Suzan Haynes, Jim Delaney and Kendra Barker. The process after nomination is to get the County Commissioners approval which was unanimous.

Jon’s wife Karren has been active on the Pawnee Valley Community Hospital Foundation Gala committee as a volunteer and Jon has been City Council Member, Larned Chamber board member, Larned Ambassador, and CKMC board member. They have three children, Evan (20), Haley(19) and Sophia (11).

“I’m honored to be a board member for the PVCH Foundation. Larned is very fortunate to have the health care providers and facilities that we have in place right now.  It is a huge positive for our community, and I hope to do what I can – as part of the PVCH Foundation board – to ensure that the current level of care and services continue to be available to Larned well into the future,” said Skelton.

Jon is Chief Financial Officer at ILS. Jon understands the Foundation serves as a vehicle through which charitable donors can assist in providing enhanced healthcare services, medical advancements and quality healthcare professionals for Pawnee County and surrounding communities. By continuing to grow and re-invest in our facilities and services, the PVCH Foundation is able to provide healthcare services to the people of this area.

”I feel truly blessed to have such wonderful community leaders as Trustees,” said Julie Bugner-Smith, Pawnee Valley Community Hospital Foundation Development Coordinator.

As part of the 2019 budget, the Great Bend City Council decided to allocate $2,000 for a maintenance fund for the dragstrip at the Great Bend Expo Complex. The City has never invested money into the dragstrip in the past; in fact, the SRCA pays the City $10,000 a year to lease the facility.

Councilmember Cory Urban felt distributing $2,000 into a maintenance fund would be a good gesture to the SRCA for all the work that is done at the dragstrip and also a good investment for a city-owned facility.

Cory Urban Audio

The thought of allocating the money to the dragstrip originated when the Barton County Fair Association approached the Council in June asking for $2,000 more than in previous years. Great Bend has given the Fair $8,000 each year, but $10,000 was the requested amount in 2019. When asked about the need for the increase in funding, Fair President Charles Atkinson cited the increasing electricity bills from Midwest Energy. The SRCA has to shoulder those utility expenses too.

Great Bend is the only city in Barton County that helps fund the Fair each year. The Council chose to keep the Barton County Fair’s allocation at $8,000.